Windows reporting connected wirelessly, but it isn't

microsoft.public.windows.networking.wireless

16 Jun 2009 3:55 PM

Dave M

I am new to this wireless newsgroup, so I apologize in advance if I am asking
for something that has already been covered.

Wireless vendor: Trapeze
Security: 802.1x, IAS, WPA, AES
Clients: IBM Lenovo Tablets (X60, X61) Intel 3945abg cards
Windows XP Pro, SP2, KB893357 and KB917021 installed, Intel driver 12.4.0.21.
Wireless settings managed by Group Policy, and users cannot change.

Problem:
Client(s) authenticate properly, connect wirelessly, and are assigned IPs.
Periodically customers complain they lose connection to their web based
application (Page cannot be displayed). Windows indicates it is connected
wirelessly with an excellent signal. Client sits 10' away from an AP. I
cannot ping the device. Wireless Management System does not see a wireless
session for that client. If we wait long enough, it will reassociate and
reconnect, and it fixes itself. If we run a wireless repair, it successfully
reconnects wirelessly.

I have enabled wireless logging (netsh ras set tracing * en) on the client,
but the logs are painful to read and understand. I have also enabled a higher
level debug on all the wireless gear for the client's mac address. Those are
also painful to read and understand.

We have changed the AP's channel, replaced the AP, and moved its virtual
connection to another Wireless security switch.

We have near 800 APs in production, and have never seen this type of problem.

I have searched high and low, for a good description of how Windows behaves
when connecting wirelessly, and have been unsuccessful. Questions like:

When windows fails to connect, and displays "Limited or no connectivity"
(assigns 169.254 address) when does it retry to connect?
Can that be adjusted, to retry more frequently?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

16 Jun 2009 5:09 PM

Jack-MVP

Hi
Quote: "When windows fails to connect, and displays "Limited or no
connectivity"
(assigns 169.254 address) when does it retry to connect?
Can that be adjusted, to retry more frequently?".
That means that the Wireless can detect a signal but can not make a real
connection to the AP and get a valid IP.
169.254 address is a default local IP that Windows assigned to itself when
it can not connect to the AP DHCP.
These situations can arise from variety of troubles.
The most common is due to Wireless Environmental noise (
http://www.ezlan.net/wbars.html ).
Mismatch of credentials (like security configuration) between the Wireless
clients and the AP ( http://www.ezlan.net/faq.html#wep ).
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

Show quoteHide quote

"Dave M" <Dave M@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F8670A5E-D126-426D-A7FC-565EB1579804@microsoft.com...
>I am new to this wireless newsgroup, so I apologize in advance if I am
>asking
> for something that has already been covered.
>
> Wireless vendor: Trapeze
> Security: 802.1x, IAS, WPA, AES
> Clients: IBM Lenovo Tablets (X60, X61) Intel 3945abg cards
> Windows XP Pro, SP2, KB893357 and KB917021 installed, Intel driver
> 12.4.0.21.
> Wireless settings managed by Group Policy, and users cannot change.
>
> Problem:
> Client(s) authenticate properly, connect wirelessly, and are assigned IPs.
> Periodically customers complain they lose connection to their web based
> application (Page cannot be displayed). Windows indicates it is connected
> wirelessly with an excellent signal. Client sits 10' away from an AP. I
> cannot ping the device. Wireless Management System does not see a wireless
> session for that client. If we wait long enough, it will reassociate and
> reconnect, and it fixes itself. If we run a wireless repair, it
> successfully
> reconnects wirelessly.
>
> I have enabled wireless logging (netsh ras set tracing * en) on the
> client,
> but the logs are painful to read and understand. I have also enabled a
> higher
> level debug on all the wireless gear for the client's mac address. Those
> are
> also painful to read and understand.
>
> We have changed the AP's channel, replaced the AP, and moved its virtual
> connection to another Wireless security switch.
>
> We have near 800 APs in production, and have never seen this type of
> problem.
>
> I have searched high and low, for a good description of how Windows
> behaves
> when connecting wirelessly, and have been unsuccessful. Questions like:
>
> When windows fails to connect, and displays "Limited or no connectivity"
> (assigns 169.254 address) when does it retry to connect?
> Can that be adjusted, to retry more frequently?
>
> Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
>

16 Jun 2009 10:28 PM

Pavel A.

These logs really could help to find the reason.
Pity you haven't anybody there who can understand them.

-- pa

Show quoteHide quote

"Dave M" <Dave M@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F8670A5E-D126-426D-A7FC-565EB1579804@microsoft.com...
> I am new to this wireless newsgroup, so I apologize in advance if I am
> asking
> for something that has already been covered.
>
> Wireless vendor: Trapeze
> Security: 802.1x, IAS, WPA, AES
> Clients: IBM Lenovo Tablets (X60, X61) Intel 3945abg cards
> Windows XP Pro, SP2, KB893357 and KB917021 installed, Intel driver
> 12.4.0.21.
> Wireless settings managed by Group Policy, and users cannot change.
>
> Problem:
> Client(s) authenticate properly, connect wirelessly, and are assigned IPs.
> Periodically customers complain they lose connection to their web based
> application (Page cannot be displayed). Windows indicates it is connected
> wirelessly with an excellent signal. Client sits 10' away from an AP. I
> cannot ping the device. Wireless Management System does not see a wireless
> session for that client. If we wait long enough, it will reassociate and
> reconnect, and it fixes itself. If we run a wireless repair, it
> successfully
> reconnects wirelessly.
>
> I have enabled wireless logging (netsh ras set tracing * en) on the
> client,
> but the logs are painful to read and understand. I have also enabled a
> higher
> level debug on all the wireless gear for the client's mac address. Those
> are
> also painful to read and understand.
>
> We have changed the AP's channel, replaced the AP, and moved its virtual
> connection to another Wireless security switch.
>
> We have near 800 APs in production, and have never seen this type of
> problem.
>
> I have searched high and low, for a good description of how Windows
> behaves
> when connecting wirelessly, and have been unsuccessful. Questions like:
>
> When windows fails to connect, and displays "Limited or no connectivity"
> (assigns 169.254 address) when does it retry to connect?
> Can that be adjusted, to retry more frequently?
>
> Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
>